litigation

[lit-i-gey-shuhn]

noun

1. the act or process of litigating.

   a matter that is still in litigation.

2. a lawsuit.

litigation

/ ˌlɪtɪˈɡeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of bringing or contesting a legal action in court

2. a judicial proceeding or contest

Other Word Forms

• nonlitigation noun
• prelitigation noun
• relitigation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of litigation¹

First recorded in 1560–70; from Late Latin lītigātiōn-, stem of lītigātiō “a dispute”; equivalent to litigate + -ion

Example Sentences

In July, Newsom signed into law a rollback of a stringent environmental statute that opponents of new development have used in recent decades to tie up proposed housing projects in litigation, often for years.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The FTC alleges in that litigation that Amazon had compelled sellers to use the company’s logistics service if they wanted their goods to be eligible for Amazon Prime shipping.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The last thing clients want is for the wealth they worked so hard for to end up creating disharmony at best, and litigation at worst.

Read more on Barron's

“This new case will allow us to litigate our claims as part of the multi-district federal litigation currently pending in the Northern District of California,” the spokesman said.

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Baccarelli has served as an expert witness in litigation against Tylenol’s maker.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• action 
• case 
• dispute 
• lawsuit 
• process 
• prosecution 
• suit 
• trial 

When To Use

What does litigation mean?

Litigation is the process of engaging in a legal proceeding, such as a lawsuit.The word litigation can also mean a lawsuit.To be in litigation typically means to be engaged in a civil legal proceeding (as opposed to a criminal one, in which one is said to be on trial). The verb litigate means engage in a legal proceeding. It can mean to bring a lawsuit or to contest one. A litigator is a lawyer, especially one who specializes in civil cases. A litigant is a person engaged in a lawsuit.Example: Their goal is to avoid litigation, so they’re going to try to get you to settle out of court.